Boat.



v H. F. HOPKINS.

BOAT;- APPLICATION FILED MAY 10 1912.

Patnted'Aug. 26, 1913 s SHEETS-SHEET 1. SW

KINS.

" BOAT.

v v APPLICATIBN FILED 1,071,422.

MAY 10, 1912 UN I TED STATES PATENTOFFIOE.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HIRAMFs-HormNs, a citizen of theUnited States,-'residing; at North Girard, inthe county of-Erie'and State of Pennsylvanim'have invented new and useful Improvements in Boats, of which the following is a s ecification.

This invention re ates to boats and-more particularly to motor or power driven boats and one of the principal objects of the'invention is to provide a boat of this character without keel or skeg or log, boat will'respond veryv readily to the rudder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat having a vertically movable propeller and'rudder which will freelyrise upon engaging a bottom or anything projecting above the-bottom so thatthepropeller or rudder will not be damaged.

A further object of the inventlon is the provision of a boat of this character having a vertically-movable propeller and rudder whichwill have means for raising and 'lowering the-same simultaneously so that the boat may be drawn up on the beach or'run downth'e. skids without damaging the propeller or rudder.-

A further object of the invention is to provide'a boat wherein the propeller shaft may be raised to draw the propeller out of the water and to connect the samewith a winding drum .so that when the propeller and rudder are outof the-water and concealed'within the boat, the boat may be-readily drawn up on a beach by its own power. A further object of the inventionis to provide aboat of this character having-a propeller which may be raised out of'the water and'exposed through the deckof the boat so as to be readily accessible for repairsor for removing collected sea grass or the'like. Further objects of this invention will appear as the following specific description is read inconnection with .the accompanying drawing,which forms apart of this application, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig.2 is a top plan view; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line. 3.3'of Fig.2.

4 is 'a similar View on the line 44"of Fig. 1. *Fig. 5. is a detail longitudinal view showing the propeller in raised position. Fig. 6 is'atransverse sectional view onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig.7 is alongitudinatseotional' view on the line 7-4 of Fig. 2.

specification of Letters Patent. "un fication mone 10, 191-2. Serial moaenaz.

whereby the which from a point interme a rear elevation. Fig. 9 is aideta'il sectional-view on the line 9+9 ofFig. '2 showing the brake. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 1 101'0 of Fig.2. 'Fig.-11=is-a sectionalview on' the elevationf the' rudder and its associated parts=and with parts broken away. zReferring' more particularly to the drawing; 1 represents the hull of the vessel which maybe of'=any suitable 'sha e or size and diate'its length to its -st'ernis provided with a' 'longitudinal channel 2 gradually increasing in depth or height from the forward 'to the aft portion thereof. Adjacentthe stern orin the for:

'ward portion of the rear deck '3; the hull is formed with a rearwardlyextending openlnget'whlclr passes through the deck and is closed .by avhatch '5. This opening colnlnunicates with the longitudinal channel 2' and has a 'greater widththan said channelto permit the passage of the propeller, as will be hereinafter described Extending inwardly from the channel 2 and also forwardly is a sleeve 6 having a bearing -7 a'dj acent its outer end and {a stuff- .Paenednga,1913; I

ing'box 8 at itsimler end. Passing through thissleeve is an engine shaft 9-wh1ch is connected to the propeller shaft 10 through a universalj'oint '11. The outer end of the propeller-shaft carries the usual propeller 12 anda gear13, the purpose of which will behereinafter described. This end of-th'e shaft is j'ournaled in a bearing 14 pivoted betweenupstanding arms 15, forming a part of'a bearing member16 constructed in two parts and surrounding the lower end of the rudder shaft 17.- Depending from the bearing member 16 are-arms 18 between which is pivoteda connecting member 19 which takes the place of the ordinary skeg, as will be readily understood, and has its forward end pivoted in'the walls 'of'the' channel 2 and immediately aft of "and below theuni versal joint. The. rudder is shown at-20 and is constructed of a frame 21 which-is rigidly secured'to the rudder-shaft 17 and is coveredby a casing 22 which forms an air tight space, making the rudder :buoyant. The rudder shaft 17 passes up through the channel 2 and is slidably mounted in the bearing '23 which is pivoted between the ears '24 on the deck and is constructed of separate parts connectedtogether by the yoke arms 25. Between the separate parts so as to limit the downward movement-of the rudder and propeller and associated parts.

Secured to the bearing 14 is a cable32 which passes up through the slot 2 and through an opening in the deck over a pulley- 33 and forwardly over similar pulleys 34, where its opposite end is wound around the drum 35. This drum is provided with a ratchet wheel 36 which is engaged by a spring pressed pawl 37 controlled by a foot lever 38 which is connected to the pawl by a link 39, thepawl being normally held in engagement with the ratchet wheel by a spring 40. This drum is divided into separate parts by a collar or annular flange 41 and wound around one portion of the drum is a flexible member 42 which is connected to the hull through a weak spring 43 having sutiicient strength to maintain a tension upon the cable'or rope 32. Thedrum is operated preferably by. a crank 44 and when I it is rotated in the proper direction the pro peller shaft, the rudder, andthe rudder shaft will be raised to the position shown in Fig.5.

When the propeller is inthe position shown in Fig. 5, the gear 13 is in position to be engaged by a"larger gear 45 carried upon a shaft 46 'slidably -mounted in the sleeve 47, whose rear end is pivoted in bracket-s 4S and whose forward end is held downagainst an abutment'by a'spring 49. The

' outer end of theshaft is provided with a worm 50 which meshes with a worm wheel 51 keyed upon a shaft 52, also carrying a drum 53. This drum is provided with a grooved brake rim 54 which is engaged'by a flexible brake band 55 secured'at one .end

to the hull and connected at its opposite end to the ofi'-set portion 56 of a shaft 57 which carries upon its outer end a lever 58 adapted when operated to clamp the brake band upon the brake rim. Journaled in bearings and extending transversely across and beneath the rear deck3 is a shaft 59 provided with-an operating lever 60 and a lug 61,

which when the lever is operated, will raise the sleeve 47 against the-tension of the spring 49 and thereby lift 'thesworm 50 out of engagement with the worm--gear51. It

will, therefore, be seen that the'drum' may be disconnected from the propeller shaft and thus the rotation of said drum may be stopped without stopping the rotation of the propeller shaft. This will be accomplished peller shaft,

peller carried thereby,

mounted thereon,'and means for propeller shaft out; of thewater and connecting it to the drum shaft;

automatically upon a reverse rotation of the propellershaft as the drum is locked against retrograde movement by a ratchet wheel and pawl 62 and 63, respectively. Thus when the shaft 46 is rotated, the worm will turn on the wheel 51 and will cause the shaft 46 to slide in the sleeve to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7, thus disconnecting the gear 45' from the gear 13. A cable of any suitable sort is wound around the drum 53 and in order to. hold this cable against displacement or accidental unwinding, I provide a spring 64 which frictionally bears against the cable and holds it against movement on the drum.

It'will be readily seen how a boat of this character can travel in shallow water and through grassy stretches where a boat with a pipe, log, and skeg stationary with the bottom of the boat could not pass. This is caused by reason of the fact that the propeller and rudder may be elevated so that seaweed may be removed from the propeller and the propeller and rudder being freely movable vertically, the same will'give, in the manner of a center board. By attaching the cable to a tree or other stationary object on shore, and elevating the rudder and propeller shaftso that the gear 13 will connect with the gear 45, the boat may be drawn up -.on the shore under its own power and held in such position after the. power is shut oif by the ratchet and pawl on F the drum 53, This drum and cable,'tog ether with the drum, may be utilized for lowering the boat intothe water. a

What is claimed is r 1. In a boat, an engine shaft, a propeller shaft universally connected thereto at one end, a rudder post, a connection between the rudder post and the opposite endjof the promeans for raising the rudder post and the connected end of the-propeller shaft, and adjustable means. carried by the rudder postfor limiting the downward movement of the free end of the propeller.

shaft,

2.-In a boat, an engine shaft, a propeller shaft universally connected thereto, a proa vertically movable rudder post connected to the outer end of the propeller shaft, post,- a' pivotal connection between the rudder post and he boat, means to rotate'the rudder post, means to raise and lower the rudder post, and adjustable-means carried bythe rudder postfor limiting the movement of the rudder post in one direction.

3. In a boat, a winding drum mounted I thereon, a shaftfordriving the same, an engine shaft, a propeller shaft universally moving the 4." In a boat, a .windingdrum thereon, a

lit

a rudder keyed to said shaft for driving the same, a propeller shaft, means for raising the same, means for connecting the propeller shaft to the drum shaft when raised, and means for stopping the rotation of the drum shaft independent of the propeller shaft.

5; In a boat, a winding drum thereon, a

shaft for driving the same; a propeller shaft, a sliding connection betweenthepropeller shaft andfthe drum shaft adapted to auto matically disconnect the drum shaft from the propeller shaft upon a retrograde move- ,ment of the propeller shaft, and hand operated means for stopping the rotation of the fdrum shaft independent of the propeller 1b sha Y v In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' V HIRAM F. HOPKINS. Witnesses C. D. HANNAH, HARRISON HOPKINS. 

